formerly Held, or by Virtue of the Letters Patents herein before recited, or by any other lawfull Right or Title whatsoever shall be by such person or persons Bodies Politick & Corporate, Towns, Villages, Colleges or Schools, their respective Heirs, Successors and Assigns forever, hereafter held and enjoyed according to the purport and Intent of such respective Grant under & Subject nevertheless to the Rents and Services thereby reserved or made payable, Any matter or thing whatsoever to the contrary notwithstanding, And provided also nothing herein contained shall extend or be understood or Taken to Impeach or prejudice any Right Title Interest or Grant or Demand which Samuel Allen of London Merchant claiming under John Mason Esq deceased or any other person or Persons, hath or have or claimeth to have hold or enjoy of into or out of any parts of the Premises situate within ye Limits abovementioned, But that the said Samuel Allen and all & every such person & Persons may and shall have, hold and enjoy the same in such manner (& no other than) as if these presents had not been had or made, it being our further will and Pleasure that no Grants or Conveyances of any Lands, Tenements or Hereditaments to any Towns, Colleges Schools of Learning or to any private Person or Persons shall be Judged or taken to be avoided or prejudiced for or by reason of any want or defect of Form, but that the same stand & remain in Force & be maintained and adjudged to have effect in the same manner as the same should or ought before the time of the said recited Judgement according to the Laws & Rules then and there usually practised & allowed and we do further for us our Heirs & Successors Will Establish and ordain, That from hence forth for ever There shall be one Governor one Lieut Governor or Deputy, and one Secretary of our Said province or Territory, to be from Time to Time Appointed & Commissionated by us, our Heirs and successors, & Eight and Twenty Assistants or Councellors, to be advising or Assisting to the Governor of our Said province

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or Territory for the Time being as by these presents is hereafter directed and Appointed, which s Councellors or Assistants are to be constituted Elected and Chosen in such form and manner as hereafter in these Presents is Expressed. And for the better execution of our Royal Pleasure and Grant in this behalf We do by these Presents for us our Heirs and Successors, nominate ordain, Make and constitute Our Trusty and well beloved Simon Bradstreet, John Richards, Nathaniel Saltonstall, Wait Winthrop, John Phillips, James Russell, Samuel Sewail, Sam! Appleton, Bartholomew Gedney, John Hathorn, Elisha Hutchinson, Robert Pike, Jonathan Corwin, John Jolliffe Adam Winthrop, Richard Middlecott, John Foster, Peter Sergeant, Joseph Lind, Samuel Heyman, Stephen Mason, Thomas Hinckly, Will Bradford, John Walley, Barnabas Lothrop, Job Alcott, Samuel Daniel, & Silvanus Davis Esq The first & Present Councellors & Assistants of our said Province to Continue in their respective Offices or Trusts of Councellors or Assistants (shall be chosen or appointed) untill the Last Wednesday in May which shall be in the year of our Lord 1693 and untill other Councellors or Assistants shall be appointed in their stead in such manner as in these Presents is expressed. And we do further by these Presents Constitute and appoint our trusty and well Beloved Isaac Addington Esq. to be our first and present secretary of our said province during our pleasure, And our will and pleasure is That the Governor of our s province for the time being shall have Authority from Time to Time at his Discretion to Assemble and call together the Councellors or Assistants of our S Province for the Time being & that the S Governor with the said assistants or Councellors or seven of them at the least, shall and may from Time to Time hold and keep a Council for the Ordering and Directing the affairs of our said province, And Further we Will & by these Presents for us our Heirs and Successors do ordain and Grant, that there shall and may be convened held & kept, by the Governor for the Time

Being upon every last Wednesday in the Month of May every year forever and at all such other Times as the Governor of our s province shall think fitt & appoint a Great and general Court or Assembly, which s Great and General Court or Assembly shall consist of the Governor & Council or Assistants for the Time being and such Freeholders of our said Province or Territory as shall be from Time to Time elected or deputed by the Major Part of the Freeholders and other Inhabitants of the respective Towns & Places who shall be present at such Elections each of the said Towns and Places being hereby empowered to elect and depute two persons and no more to serve for and represent them respectively in said Gr and General Court or Assembly, To which Great & General Court or Assembly, to be held as aforesaid We do humbly for us our Heirs and Successors Give and Grant full Power and authority from Time to Time to direct appoint and declare what number each town, County and Place shall elect and depute to serve for and represent them respectively in the said General Court or Assembly, Provided Always that no Freeholder or other person shall have a vote at the Election of members to serve in any Great and General Court or Assembly to be held as aforesaid who at the Time of such Election shall not have an Estate or Freehold in Land within our said Province or Territory to the Value of Forty Shillings per Annum at the least or other Estate to the Value of Forty Pounds Sterling: And that every person who shall be so Elected shall before he sit and act in the said Great and General Court or Assembly take the oaths mentioned in an act of Parliament made in the First year of our Reign Entitled an Act for Abrogating of the Oaths of Allegiance & Supremacy & appointing other oaths, and thereby appointed to be taken instead of the oaths of allegiance & supremacy: And shall make repeat and subscribe the declaration mentioned in the s Act, before the Governor or Lieu! or Deputy Governor or any two of the Assistants for the time being who shall be thereunto Authorised and Ap

pointed by our said Governor. And that the Governor for the Time being, shall have full power and Authority from time to time as he shall Judge Necessary to Adjourn Prorogue and Dissolve all great and General Courts or Assemblies met and convened as aforesaid. And our will and Pleasure is, And we do hereby for us our Heirs & Successors, Grant, Establish and Ordain that yearly once in every year forever after the aforesaid number of Eight and Twenty Councellors or Assistants shall be by the General Court or Assembly newly chosen; That is to say Eighteen at least of the Inhabitants of or Proprietors of Lands within the Territory formerly called the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay, and four at least of the Inhabitants of or proprietors of Lands within the said Territory formerly called New Plimouth and three at y least of the Inhabitants of or proprietors of Lands within the Territory formerly called y Province of Maine and one at the least of the Inhabitants of or Proprietors of Lands within the Territory lying between the River of Sagadahock and Nova Scotia. And that the Councellors or Assistants or any of them shall or may at any Time hereafter be removed or displaced from their respective Places or Trust of Councellors or Assistants by any Great and General Court or Assembly and that if any of the s Councellors or Assistants shall happen to Die or be removed as aforesaid before the General Day of Election, that then and in every such Case, the Great and General Court or Assembly at their first sitting may proceed to a new Election of one or more Councellors or Assistants in the Room or place of such Councellors or Assistants so dying or Removed. And we do further Grant and ordain that it shall and may be lawfull for the said Governor with the Advice and Consent of the Council or Assistants from from time to Time to nominate and appoint Judges, Commissioners of Oyer and Terminer, Sheriffs, Provosts and Marshals, Justices of the Peace and other Officers to our Council and Courts of Justice belonging.

Provided Always that no such nomination or appointment of Officers be made without notice first given or Summons Issued out seven days before such nomination or Appointment unto such of the said Councellors or Assistants as shall be at that Time resideing within our s Province. And our will and Pleasure is That the Governor and Lieu! or Deputy Governor and Councellors or Assistants for the Time being & all other officers to be Appointed or Chosen as aforesaid shall before the undertaking the execution of their Offices & Places respectively, take their several and respective Oaths for the due and faithfull Performance of their Duties in their several and respective offices and Places, And also the Oaths appointed by the said act of Parliament made in the first year of our Reign, to be Taken Instead of the Oaths of Allegiance & Supremacy and shall make repeat and subscribe the Declaration Mentioned in the said Act before such Person or Persons as are by these Presents herein after appointed (that is to say) the Gov' of our said province of Territory for the Time being shall take the said oaths and make repeat and subscribe the s1 Declaration before the Lieu' or Deputy Governor, or in his absence before any two or more of s persons hereby nominated and appointed the present Councellors or Assistants of our said Province or Territory, to whom we do by these presents give full power and Authority to give and administer the same unto our s Governor accordingly, and af ter our said Governor shall be sworn and shall have subscribed to the said Declaration that then our Lieu or Deputy Governor, for the time being and the Councellors or Assistants before by these Presents nominated and appointed, shall take the said oaths and make repeat and subscribe the said Declaration before our said Governor & that every such Person or Persons as shall (at any time of the Annual Elections or otherwise upon Death or Removal) be appointed to be the New Councellors or Assistants and all other Officers to be hereafter Chosen from Time to Time